Firewall to bring enhanced security, services to Western
The Division of Information Technology will be implementing
a firewall during the fall semester. A network device that
allows the network to be filtered and controlled by the system
administrator, the firewall will protect each Western network
user's personal information from intrusion and threats such
as hacker activity, for example.
 An enhancement to Western's existing network security, the firewall will realize
a huge decrease in the number of systems compromised on campus. "It will
provide increased reliability in our computing environment," said Scott
Swartzentruber, director of Networking Services.
The enhanced security the firewall brings will enable Western to increase vital
services in areas such as recruitment, enrollment and admissions. The university
also will meet the necessary security standards required by many of the outside
services, such as financial institutions, that regularly collaborate with Western.
The IT Division will be working to identify user's firewall needs as the semester
progresses. A specific email on this topic will be sent out to the Western community
during the semester, said Swartzentruber. "Look out for this email," he
urged. "Your response will help us better serve you."
In addition to the email, an area of the IT Web site will be dedicated to the
firewall and its implementation.
For more information on the firewall, please contact Scott Swartzentruber at scotts@email.wcu.edu or
via the ITS Help Desk at 227-7487.
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